Complex Systems Science
First published: 2016
Brief summary
Santa Fe Institute overview of complex systems science.
Article
Complex-systems science investigates systems composed of many interacting parts whose collective behaviour cannot be understood fully by examining the parts in isolation. Interactions can produce organisation, adaptation and large-scale patterns without central control.
The field studies physical, biological, technological and social systems using mathematical models, computation, experiments and comparative data. Typical subjects include networks, evolution, collective behaviour, information processing and the emergence of structure across scales.
Feedback, nonlinearity and heterogeneity are central features. Small changes can sometimes remain local, while in other conditions they propagate through connections and alter the state of the whole system.
Complex-systems research seeks principles that recur across different domains while retaining the mechanisms specific to each case. Models are evaluated by whether they reproduce measurable patterns, clarify causal processes and generate predictions that can be compared with observations.
Source details and credits
- Source / publisher: Santa Fe Institute
- Source type: Educational article
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Santa Fe Institute
- URL: https://www.santafe.edu/what-is-complex-systems-science